One Friend
by The Pepper Pot
Summary: Harry leaves unexpectedly and Hermione is left alone again, as Ron is being rude. She finds real friendship where she didn't expect to.


I own Harry Potter. I waited in line until midnight for seven books strait and they are all on my shelf across the room. Oh, I have to own the RIGHTS to Harry Potter? Nevermind, I don't own the series.

Without further ado;

I'm getting married tomorrow. With these words, Hermione's heart stopped working. Ginny and I are eloping, and we're leaving the whole of society behind us where nobody can ever trace us. We'll remember you always, but this has to be done. I love her, and we can only be safe if Voldemort has no idea where we are. Please don't be angry.

Please don't be angry? If not angry, what else could she feel? Harry was her best friend in the world, and if he was leaving, she'd be left alone. Worse than that, she might have to make up with Ron again. Crumpling the note, she muttered, "Incindiate" and left it burning as she exited the room for a walk around the grounds. With it being late in the day and the OWLS coming up shortly, she was the only person by the lake.

She tried desperately not to cry, but with the setting sun, the irritation was too much for her eyes. Once she started, there was no stopping her from weeping to her heart's content. She took out a handkerchief to mop the tears from her watery brown eyes and a breeze caught it, carrying it away from the castle. Behind her, she heard a rustle of fabric and a student walked from behind her and retrieved it for her.

"Thank you!" she called out to the other student. As her turned, her face turned to shock that it had been Draco Malfoy who had been behind her. When did he walk out behind her? Perhaps she hadn't heard him because she had been crying.

"I didn't think you were the type for lace," he said, smirking at her. Had he always been so sexy? Certainly he'd seen a lot of girls, but really.

"Not really, but it's nice all the same."

He looked her over. She had been crying for quite some time and her face was a little flushed, but it was in all the right places. "Are you all right?" he said, bringing the handkerchief to her face, wiping away the tears from her large chocolate eyes.

She sighed and looked away. "Something's come up," she murmured. Looking into his silver eyes, she said, "Harry's gone, and I'm left all alone. He was my best friend, and he left without saying a word. He just left me a letter saying he left to elope with Ginny."

He looked at her for a minute and moved to embrace her. "Sounds lonely." She nodded against his shoulder and began to cry again, this time with no tears, only broken breath. They stood like that for a minute and he began to bear her weight, pulling her down so that they could sit together, still entwined. "It's a beautiful day. It's finally warm." She tilted her head to look at the lake and sighed.

Finally, she spoke. "It would be easier if I had been able to hold onto my friends more easily. Ron's useless, and at this point, I don't know if I'll find any more friends in my time at Hogwarts. It's just…" she trailed off.

"I understand," he said.

She pulled away from him. "Don't lie to me. How could you possibly understand? You have swarms of people following you around all the-"

"Who do I know who can hold their own in an intellectual conversation? Who do I know who wants to be my friend because of who I am instead of which family I come from?" She sat there, stunned, trying to figure out if he was making fun of her or not.

She decided he wasn't and then decided that he was telling the truth. "It'll be dark soon."

He looked at her again with that sexy smirk. "And here I was thinking it was nearing dawn." She blushed and tuned her head.

She began to laugh softly, and then turned back, quizzically. "Why are you being so nice to me after five years of making fun of everything about me?"

He smirked again, even sexier than before. "Have I ever told you that you're beautiful when you're flustered?" Surprised, she turned her head to him and he closed the gap, kissing her deeply. For a moment, everything left her head; the pain, the loneliness, and how much she hated him. The only thing left was the need she felt, and the way he closed that vacuum within her.

He pulled back and she opened her eyes, they were filled with need; need for his friendship, his time, and they said that she wanted something more. She needed something deep and meaningful from him.

With lust so heavily laden in her eyes, she stared at him, knowing that he would indulge her. He read on her face exactly what she wanted, but he turned away. She wouldn't want it to have happened come morning. "I'll be your friend, but I don't want to get involved just now. You're under a lot of emotional stress, and you need to heal. I'll help you through it, though, and I'll be here for you when you're better."

* * *

This was my first fan fiction I ever wrote over a year ago! I can't believe I found this!


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